


Scars

by FlightlessAngelWings



Category: Avengers (Comics), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Action, Awesome Clint Barton, Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, F/M, Protective Clint Barton, Reader-Insert, SHIELD Agent Reader (Marvel)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-06-02 09:53:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19439038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlightlessAngelWings/pseuds/FlightlessAngelWings
Summary: Clint and Reader have been after a target for months. After he slips away again, they try one last time to take him down. He is a very dangerous man, but this is personal.





	Scars

**Author's Note:**

> Written for @barnesrogersvstheworld's writing challenge on tumblr.  
> Prompt: “You have a very skewed perception of cool.” “Was that a compliment? Because it could go either way.”  
> This ended up being wayyyy longer than I planned, and I definitely have a flair for the dramatic. Enjoy!

“Dammit!” you threw your gear on the jet in a fit, “We were so close!”

“I know babe,” Clint spoke from behind you, “We’ll get him, ok?” he rested a hand on your shoulder.

You let out a deep sigh before you relaxed at his touch. This was supposed to be a surefire mission: find the enemy base and take down the leader. But of course, things never go the way they’re supposed to and the man you and Clint had been after for months got away. You took it harder than the rest of your small team of agents, however, because for you this was much more personal. And Clint knew that.

After a moment to collect yourself, you turned to face the archer, “Thanks Clint,” you voice was softer and you gave him a weak smile.

“Now there’s my girl. Now let’s get back to the compound and drown our feelings with pizza and beer!”

“Sounds like a plan!”

~

You allowed yourself one night of drunken fun with Clint before you got right back to work the next morning to track down the elusive enemy. You got yourself up and to the desk where you left your laptop just as the sun started to peak through the blinds, leaving Clint sound asleep in his bed. Yesterday made 4 times that this enemy slipped through your fingers, and each time just made you more and more angry. That was the last time that you would let him get away.

The computer screen glared on your face as you concentrated, “Where the fuck are you, Gasto?” you muttered under your breath. You lost yourself in your thoughts, and without realizing it you ran your fingers over the scars on your cheek and shoulder. Flashes of the night you got them played in your mind. One stupid miscalculation messed up the entire mission, your target, Gasto, got away for the first time, and the last thing you remember before you passed out was Clint calling your name. Tears threatened to fall down your cheek, but you wouldn’t let them.

Completely lost in your own head, you didn’t even notice the archer come up behind you. Clint had to say your name multiple times before you finally turned around to look at him. “Hey, you ok?” he asked as he kneed down to meet your eyes.

“Yeah,” your voice was a whisper as you looked down to the floor. You know you didn’t sound convincing, but you didn’t have the energy to fake it right now. Not that it mattered with Clint anyway.

He looked at you with worry in his eyes, “Did you sleep at all?”

You nodded, “Couple hours.”

Without a word, he gently placed his hand on your cheek to caress the scar that adorned your skin there. You winced slightly, but didn’t push him away. Clint was the only person you let get close to your scar. He was, after all, the person you were closest to in the world, which meant he knew how important finding this man was to you. What he hadn’t told you though, was that when you did find Gasto, he would kill him himself for what he did to you.

A beep from your computer broke both of you out of the moment.

“What is it?” Clint asked as he stiffened his posture.

You scanned the screen before turning to him with a smirk on your face, “I found him,” you immediately stood and gathered your gear. “I gotta catch him now before he gets away again,” urgency lined your voice as adrenaline rushed through your system.

“What about alerting the team? We need to do this right,” normally Clint wasn’t this cautious, but he recognized that look on your face. And he the last thing he wanted to do was risk your life.

“There’s no time, Clint!” you all but yelled.

The avenger sighed. He wasn’t going to back down on his stance, but he knew how you were too. He also knew exactly how you felt in this moment. So, he changed his approach, “Ok,” he started in a softer voice as he went to pick up his bow, “Let’s go then.”

You looked at him, puzzled, “Lets?”

“I’m not gonna let you go alone now, am I?” he smirked as he gestured toward the door.

With a smile, you led the way down the hall and to a jet.

~

Gasto was an elusive and dangerous mob leader from Russia. He first popped up in S.H.I.E.L.D’s radar when it was found that he and his gang had ties to Hydra. But he was not the easy take down that others had been. He was smart. Somehow, he was always one step ahead and always managed to escape at the last minute. This made him a top priority to take down.

When your search pinged him, Gasto was hiding in plain sight. Which is where you and Clint currently followed to. Dressed in fancy all black clothes, the two of you walked arm and arm into the casino. You followed Clint’s lead as he took you to a corner seat at the bar to survey the room. It didn’t take you long to spot your target, but your partner told you to stay put.

“We don’t know how many friends he has here,” Clint spoke in a low voice, “We won’t lose him, we don’t have to rush.”

You bit your lip and let out a heavy sigh. He was right and you knew it, but it was eating you up to not make a move yet. A couple hours passed agonizingly slow as your target was content at his poker table. Sometimes a roar of laugher erupted from around him, making both you and Clint snap your heads around, but otherwise things were calm.

“Hey,” the archer took your hand and squeezed it, “We got this.”

You met his eyes and gave him a soft smile, “Thanks Clint.”

Again, your moment didn’t last long. Clint noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and went on high alert. You followed immediately and watched as Gasto rose from the table he has occupied for the past few hours. He pulled what looked like a cigarette packet from his jacket pocket, and you knew this was the opening you were waiting for.

“We’ll have to split up,” Clint’s voice was firm as he spoke to you without taking his gaze off the target.

“Yeah,” you agreed, “You go around back and cut off any escape. I’ll meet him head on. We should be able to trap him in the ally.”

“But…” Clint tried to argue but you cut him off.

“We’re gonna lose him!” you didn’t sound like yourself. Your voice was all but a growl and you pounced off your bar stool before the archer could say anything more. You were determined. This was your shot and you weren’t going to miss it.

“She’s gonna give me a heart attack one of these days,” Clint muttered to himself as he took off in the other direction.

You tailed close behind your target, careful to stay hidden on the shadows as Gasto casually strolled out one of the back doors. No one else seemed to follow him, which meant he was finally alone. It was dark out in the back alley; the sun had set hours ago. You pulled your gun out as your heart pounded in your chest.

“You really shouldn’t have come alone, sweetheart,” the mobster spoke with his back still to you, “It’s not safe here after dark,” he turned and smiled wickedly at you.

Your eyes widened; you didn’t think he knew you were following him. You swallowed your momentary shock and covered it up with a glare, “I can handle myself.” You cocked your gun at him, “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”

He didn’t seem to worry as he laughed in your face, “I’m sure you have,” he took a drag from his cigarette, “How are your wounds healing? I can see the scar on your face from here. One of my cleanest marks, I must say.”

Choosing not to answer with your words, you fired a gunshot right at his hand, which knocked the cigarette into the air. On your face, you wore a mix of a scowl and a smile. This was your turn to surprise Gasto. His hand bled and he was momentarily caught off his guard, but it didn’t last long. He shook it off before he charged at you.

You were ready, but before you could fire a second time, an arrow whizzed by you and hit Gasto on the shoulder. You didn’t need to look behind you to know who it was.

“You’re late.”

“I thought I’d let you have your moment first,” the avenger answered playfully as he came to stand next to you.

The mobster had enough. He stood and pulled the arrow from his shoulder before he launched himself at the two of you. You and Clint reacted immediately and a fight broke out between the three of you. Your gun was instantly knocked out of your hand. Gasto pulled out a knife from his coat and tried his best to stab someone, either one of you, with it. Clint used his bow to block and counter, and you pulled out an extendable staff to fight with. The alley was filled with the sounds of grunts, hits, and punches as you and Clint pushed hard to take down your enemy.

Gasto managed to push Clint down to the ground and knock his bow out of his hand. The archer hit the ground hard, making him temporarily disoriented.

“Clint!” you ran at the mobster with your staff, ready to knock him out. But he was faster than you were. He spun around and grabbed the staff with one hand and forcefully yanked it out of yours. He then used your own weapon against you and knocked you back against the ally wall.

“I honestly expected more from an avenger and a top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent,” he teased as he stepped towards you. Both hands each held a weapon: your staff in one and his knife in the other. You tried to reach for your second gun, but he slashed at your hand with his knife, which caused you to drop it.

You froze. This was too familiar. In your mind, you saw the last time this man had you in a situation like this. It wasn’t exactly the same, but the feeling was. It was that feeling of helplessness. He had the advantage, and he knew it. In that moment, you went from being a strong, tough agent to a scared, weak civilian. You swallowed hard, at a loss of what to do next.

“As much as I want to prolong playtime here,” Gasto spoke with venom in his voice, “I have other things to do,” he rose the arm that help his knife.

 _I’m sorry, Clint,_ you thought to yourself as you closed your eyes to wait for the pain.

It never came, though, and you heard a grunt of pain in front of you. When you opened your eyes, you realized why. Clint had jumped in front of you, and the knife was buried in his chest.

“CLINT!” you screamed as he fell back into your arms. His breathing was shallow, but he was still alive.

Gasto only laughed, “Two for one, can’t argue with that,” he went to hit you with your staff again.

But that hit never fell.

Thinking quickly, you pulled a gun out from Clint’s hidden holster and shot your enemy right in the chest. He fell to the ground dead and your staff rolled back towards you and Clint. Only, you couldn’t care less about your weapon at the moment.

“Clint? Clint?!” tears formed in your eyes as you held him in your arms, “Come on Clint, don’t leave me!”

~

Clint woke up who knows how many hours later only to find himself in a bright, white room. _Hospital_ , he thought to himself. He groaned as he tried to shift himself to look around the room. Before he could move too much, he felt a hand grab his.

“Don’t move too much Clint,” your voice cut through the silence of the room as your hand squeezed his.

“I’m fine babe,” he tried to sound convincing as he looked up at you with his sad puppy eyes routine.

You exhaled sharply, “You scared me,” you kept your voice firm to keep yourself from breaking.

His face dropped, “I’m sorry,” he held your hand as tight as he could, “But I’m glad you’re ok,” he knew you were a more than capable agent, but he still couldn’t keep himself from protecting you. Especially when he saw the look on your face when Gasto had you cornered.

“Thank you, Clint,” you whispered as you locked your eyes with his.

The archer flashed you a crooked smile in response. As long as you were ok, that was all that mattered to Clint. He had lost a lot in his life, and he was determined not to lose you too. No matter what.

“What happened to Gasto? Did he get away?” Clint asked, remembering why he was in the hospital in the first place.

“He’s dead,” your answer was simple and your voice was flat.

“So, your revenge act is over then,” he tried to pull a smile from your face.

“Revenge,” you echoed, “Yeah.”

Clint grinned cheekily as he poked your side, “You got him for me, didn’t you? I knew I picked right with you!”

A half smile was the only answer you had for him. With your free hand, you touched his face softly. A fresh wound laid across the bridge of his nose, and he had another one at the top of his chest that peaked out from his hospital gown. “That’s gonna leave a scar,” guilt lined your voice as you changed the subject.

He snickered, “It’s alright. Scars are cool. I’m just bummed it’s not as cool as yours.”

You scrunched your face, **“You have a very skewed perception of cool.”**

**“Was that a compliment? Because it could go either way.”**

Clint pouted and tried the sad puppy stare on you again, all the while hiding a growing smile. You were only able to hold your stern expression for a few moments before both you and Clint burst into laughter. You leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his forehead before you settled to rest next to your archer. Whatever challenges lay ahead for the pair of you, as long as you were together, you knew everything would be ok. And that was a comforting though for both you and Clint.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on tumblr! @FlightlessAngelWings is my writing page and @buckybarnesthedoritoslut is my main!


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